Empowering Through Education

In the heart of a rising India, where skyscrapers reach higher and digital revolutions redefine opportunity, there exists a stark contradiction — millions of children still wake up each morning without the certainty of going to school. Despite being home to the largest population of young people in the world, India continues to struggle with one of the most persistent and heartbreaking gaps: equitable access to quality education for all children.

As of the 2021–22 Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+), over 14 lakh schools operate across the country, yet nearly 2.9 million children aged 6 to 17 are still out of school, according to UNICEF and government estimates. The COVID-19 pandemic only worsened this crisis, pushing an additional 247 million students out of physical classrooms and exposing the severe digital divide. For children in rural and low-income urban communities, online education was not an alternative — it was an absence.

India has made commendable progress over the decades. The literacy rate has risen to 77.7% (NSO, 2023), and school enrolment at the elementary level has consistently improved. The Right to Education Act, passed in 2009, mandates free and compulsory education for all children aged 6 to 14. And yet, access does not always equal learning. According to the ASER 2023 report, while 95% of children are enrolled in schools, nearly 50% of Class 5 students in rural India still cannot read a simple sentence in English or perform basic arithmetic. Quality of learning remains alarmingly low — and this is the heart of India's education crisis.

Girls continue to face disproportionate challenges. Though enrolment has improved significantly, especially in government schools, dropout rates remain high after Class 8. Issues like early marriage, household responsibilities, menstrual health insecurity, and safety concerns keep many adolescent girls away from education. A 2022 study by CRY found that one in three girls from the most marginalized communities drops out of school by the age of 15.

In many tribal and backward regions, classrooms are underfunded, teacher shortages are rampant, and infrastructure is inadequate. Thousands of schools lack basic necessities such as toilets, electricity, libraries, or clean drinking water — all critical for a healthy learning environment. According to UDISE+ data, over 15% of government schools do not have separate toilets for girls, directly affecting their attendance and retention.

But beyond the statistics are stories — of bright minds held back by geography, poverty, and circumstance. Children like Rina, from a remote village in Jharkhand, who walks three kilometres daily to attend a one-room school without benches or books. Or Aman, a 10-year-old from a Delhi slum, who lost two years of education during the lockdown because his family didn't own a smartphone.

This is where organizations like TheEducationForAll step in — to bridge the gap between policy and reality, between what is promised and what is delivered. Our work focuses not only on increasing enrolment but on ensuring meaningful learning. From setting up mobile classrooms in remote villages to training local teachers and creating safe, girl-friendly educational spaces, we believe in tackling the problem from the roots. Our approach is community-driven, child-focused, and impact-oriented.

Education is not just a right — it is the foundation of all other rights. A child who learns is more likely to grow up healthy, avoid exploitation, participate in democratic life, and break the chains of generational poverty. An educated child becomes an empowered adult, and an empowered generation becomes a stronger, fairer, and more just nation.

India cannot afford to leave any child behind in its quest for progress. The true measure of development is not GDP growth or urban expansion, but whether the most vulnerable among us can read, write, and dream. At TheEducationForAll, we're not just teaching children — we're building a future where every child has the freedom to choose their path. And we invite you to be a part of that future.